BEWARE 1

Police have issued fresh warnings about phone scammers who pose as HM Revenue & Customs to scare vulnerable people into paying fictitious tax bills.

The fraudsters say that police will arrive with arrest warrants unless they are paid immediately.

They typically demand payment in iTunes vouchers but, in a new twist, some are demanding bank transfers to accounts with online-only banks.

HMRC’s Director General of Customer Service Angela MacDonald warned: “These scammers are very confident, convincing and utterly ruthless.”